The Kansas City Chiefs just added another weapon to their Patrick Mahomes-led offense, reportedly swinging a trade with the New York Giants on Thursday for wide receiver Kadarius Toney.
Jordan Schultz of theScore was the first to report the news, which since has been confirmed by ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Media's Tom Pelissero.
The Giants reportedly will receive a third-round compensatory pick and a sixth-round pick -- both in the 2023 NFL Draft -- in exchange for Toney, a first-rounder (20th overall) in 2021 who has flashed upside in two seasons with New York but has battled both injuries and inconsistency.
Toney's contract is fully guaranteed for about $5.2 million through 2024, plus a fifth-year option, per Pelissero. ESPN's Field Yates added that Toney carries a salary and cap hit of $784,000 in 2022, $1.907 million in 2023 and $2.531 million in 2024.
Mahomes seemed to react to the trade Thursday afternoon by posting a GIF of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson smiling, without caption or context.
Clearly, that's a quarterback who's happy to have another talented pass-catcher onboard.
Toney is an intriguing player despite the overall lack of production to this point in his young NFL career. The University of Florida product totaled 39 catches for 420 yards across 10 games in his rookie season. The 23-year-old has been limited to just two catches in two games this season and hasn't played since Week 2 due to an ankle injury, but the Chiefs are gambling on him making good on his potential and carving out a meaningful role in their loaded offense.
Kansas City's offense ranks first in the NFL in points per game (31.9) and EPA/play, and second in yards per game (403.3) and yards per play (6.3). The Chiefs have a bye in Week 8, giving Toney an additional week to recover from his injury and prepare to debut with his new team.
The Chiefs' success (5-2 record; first place in the AFC West) was expected given their performance in recent years. But the Giants' strong start (6-1 record; second place in the NFC East) has been one of the NFL's biggest surprises through seven weeks of the regular season.
